with the power they put out they can't be as bulletproof as a tractor like the DRZ, but generally they go a lot longer than comparable high performance bikes in terms of rebuilds, valve adjustments etc. personally i preferred the steel frame models (pre 2007) as they were barely any heavier and it was much easier accessing the carby and engine without that bulky alloy frame...

I have seen a lot more drz failures then WR. I'm with you on the steel frame though. Maintenance was waaaaay easier.

It has 4 wires.. green and black w/ white strip are not used.
The other two are used with the brown and solid pink wire.

Zip tied to the speedo box mount. nice and snug

switched on

I converted the whole bike to DC... so I added a relay to turn all the accessories and lights on (or enable them to be on) when the ignition switch is turned on
This is a mini relay. I discovered a handful of them at a junk yard in a ford car. I think I got half a dozen for a dollar. Also in that mess of wire is a phone/gps charger adaptor hardwired in to power my android GPS running MyTrails.

key turned on.. headlight comes on, tail light.. power for acc comes on... the big black and red on/off on the right is power for my heated grips.

Was also curious what you guys are using? Seems like my normal bulbs keep burning out on the bumpy trails. I also have the hi and low switch on my bike so looking for something heavy duty with good light output. Thanks in advance.

The seat is made by seat concepts. The poster of that bike is the guy you need to talk to if you want to buy one (mxbundy). I love the seat I got from him. Check him out in the vendors section. Believe it's free shipping for forum members too.

I'm also interested in the link since my wife just bought a wr250. Little tall for her.

As for the tank, I'm generally getting 45 miles a gallon on the road so 130 miles a tank maybe. As for off road it varies a lot but I have done over 100 miles of rough trails on my stock tank which is 2.7 I believe. Ill have to double check.

I get a little over 100 miles in the sand dunes with my Acerbis 3.1 and that's with a lot of heavy throttle application. I usually end up transfering gas to my friends on their MX bikes on the way back to the trucks.

a mate of mine is looking at a dirt bike that will occasionally have to double as a pint sized adventure bike. he's looking at the CRF450 but i'm convinced he'd be better off with the WR450F as it should go a lot longer between engine rebuilds. i know my old 2006 WR450F had clocked up about 7000km of dirt and adventure riding with no engine work needed at all.

anyone got rough mileage estimates before you've had to do cam chains, top end or bottom end work?

"Power output isn’t the issue for our testers, but controlling the engine does cause some concern. First of all, as Martin alluded to, getting the dang thing to start with its button takes an act of Congress. We put it to the test constantly during our photo shoots and not one of us could find a secret to getting it lit. Kicking works pretty well, but who wants to do that? Also, the drivetrain received poor marks, worst in the test, primarily because of its YZ450F-derived clutch. It takes Herculean strength to engage and it fades at the mere thought of fanning."

“Noise from the resonator on the head pipe was louder than the exhaust.” He wasn’t the only one to comment on the noise. It was the loudest in the stationary sound test with 93 dB, but our riders were more concerned with the ruckus coming from the engine/intake/header. We couldn’t pinpoint the noise, but it’s definitely the raspiest and most obnoxious."

"The Yamaha is a big boy. The WR might have gotten a rolling chassis from the YZ250F, but not a single one of our testers ever described it as particularly 250-ish. It feels fairly narrow and the seat height is listed at 37.8 inches, which is lower than the Honda and KTM, but our testers all felt it is the tallest and struggled to get their toes on the ground (sans our 6’4” beanstalk). It’s also the heaviest bike in this test at 274 pounds and it doesn’t make excuses for its girth."